Top 10 Chasteberry Tea Benefits

Chasteberries are the fruit of a blossoming tree that is found in the Mediterranean, parts of Europe and Africa. Variants of the species can be found elsewhere in the world, such as in the West Indies. Chasteberries have been used medicinally throughout history, mostly in Europe, although little scientific research has been done into their potential benefits. Regardless, the fruit remains an incredibly popular alternative remedy for the symptoms of menstruation, but there are many other potential chasteberry tea benefits yet to be explored.

Known in some parts of the world as “Monk’s Berry,” the fruit of the chaste tree makes a delightful tea that has a desirable flavor on its own or as a part of numerous herbal tea recipes. To make a brew from the berries themselves, either the fresh fruit or dried variants can be used. A chasteberry tea recipe involves little more than one cup of boiling water and a teaspoon of the berries, and the mixture is steeped for about ten minutes. After straining, the beverage can be enjoyed warm to take advantage of the plentiful supposed chasteberry tea benefits that people have raved about for decades, ten of which follow.

1. PMS Symptoms: If there is one area where the effects of chasteberry have been studied scientifically, it’s in the realm of menstruation. One study in particular found a reduction by over half in PMS symptoms in women using capsules containing the dried fruit. Chemicals found in the berries called dopaminergic compounds are thought to impact hormones which may be responsible for reducing symptoms related to menstruation such as mood changes and nervous tension, furthering the belief that chasteberry tea benefits for PMS are potentially valid.

2. Infertility in Women: For some women, elevated levels of prolactin in the body may contribute to infertility. It’s thought that by regulating prolactin secretion in the body, chasteberry may help to reverse this in some people, making conception easier.

3. Regulating Menstruation: Not the reproductive system rather the pituitary gland may be where chasteberry tea benefits may include regulating menstruation. The pituitary gland is where luteinizing hormone production is controlled, and if the theories are correct, chasteberry may stimulate this hormone’s production which may increase the manufacture of progesterone in the body and therefore help regulate irregular menstrual cycles.

4. Breast Pain: Also referred to as cyclical mastalgia, chasteberries in various forms are used to help relieve this symptom common in menstruating women. In fact, it’s an approved form of treatment for this and other womanly ails in Germany, where some of the most extensive study has been performed. Similarly to how the chemicals in chasteberry may assist with other aspects of menstruation, breast pain symptoms may also be reduced or alleviated with tea brewed from the herbal remedy.

5. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Researchers aren’t quite sure just how chasteberry tea benefits may include controlling the symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) however what limited trials have been conducted have suggested a reduction in some symptoms related to the condition.

6. Problems with the Prostate: There are even fewer studies conducted in men with regards potential chasteberry tea benefits, but theories abound that given how the chemicals in the fruit of the chaste tea affect the body, it’s possible that they may also have a positive impact on the prostate in men, opening up a potentially new and exciting use for the plant.

7. Boosting Testosterone: Although unproven, chasteberry tea benefits may include providing an increase or at least regulation of testosterone in the body. This doesn’t seem too farfetched given the herbal remedies tendency to affect various levels of hormones in the body. That being said, it’s becoming popular in the bodybuilding circuit in various forms, mostly supplements, because of its effect on hormone levels.

8. Reducing Sexual Desire: While some may see it as a benefit and others not so much, historically one of the most popular uses for the chaste tree was reducing sexual desire. In fact, the name “Monk’s berry” comes from this purpose which explains its use in monasteries. In Rome, women left at home by husbands gone to battle would cover their couches in the leaves to reduce their sexual desire. The use can be classified as “alternative” at best, but chasteberry tea benefits may include reducing intimate urges.

9. Water Retention: It’s clear that the progesterone-like effect of the fruit of the chaste tree is responsible for the majority of the health benefits associated with it. This is also thought to include water retention, as associated with the period prior to menstruation. Chasteberry tea benefits may include reducing excess water in the body, a common symptom of menses.

10. Breast Milk Production: The use of chasteberry in pregnant women is not advisable and can be seriously dangerous. In breastfeeding women however, the herbal remedy was thought to help stimulate breast milk production. Further study into this use and its safety is still necessary, but some recent trials have found that in test animals serum prolactin was increased with use of chasteberry.

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